Media Release: Ontario Budget is a Breakthrough for Clean River and Light Rail in City of Ottawa

July 14, 2014 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOntario Budget is a Breakthrough for Clean River and Light Rail in City of Ottawa
Budget Shines Light on Federal Failure in City of Ottawa

Ottawa, ON – Ecology Ottawa welcomes today’s Ontario budget and calls on the federal government to take similar action.

“This budget is a breakthrough for our efforts to clean-up the Ottawa River and build light rail in the City of Ottawa,” said Graham Saul, Executive Director of Ecology Ottawa. “It’s great to see the provincial government responding to the priorities of the people of Ottawa and frustrating to watch the federal government drag its heels.”

Ecology Ottawa has collected more than 10,000 signatures calling on the federal and provincial government to support the City of Ottawa’s plan to stop the dumping of untreated sewage into the Ottawa River.

“Beaches from Westboro to Petrie Island are closed today because we’ve already dumped more than 570 million litres of untreated sewage into the Ottawa River this year, more than twice last year’s total for the period from April to November,” Saul continued. “The time for action is now, so why is the federal government holding us back?”

“Now we need a clear signal from the federal government that they support the City of Ottawa’s plans to extend light rail to the east, south and west end of the city,” said Saul. “Last year the feds committed hundreds of millions of dollars to public transit in Toronto but we’re not hearing anything about the City of Ottawa’s priorities. We need the federal government to be a partner, not an absentee landlord.”

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